"The fans can boo me and all that [stuff], but that's fine. It's not going to help me out. It's not going to help the team do anything out there when you do that [stuff]. The feeling is, the team's behind you and everybody's behind you — the crowd, the whole nine yards. Things are going to go right.

"But when you start pulling that [stuff], it's not a good vibe. The team's pulling for the team, so the fans got to be pulling for the team. That [stuff] doesn't work. So I'll just walk away positive from it. It's a good win. A much-needed win."

Balfour returned to the Rays on a two-year deal this offseason after three seasons in Oakland, but has struggled in his second go-around with Tampa Bay. He is 0-1 with a 5.89 ERA in 18 appearances, with eight saves in 10 chances.

A 2013 All-Star, Balfour leads American League relievers with 18 walks. He has only 15 strikeouts.

"[Stuff] happens. I'm not going to sit here and cry about it," Balfour said. "I would have liked to have closed it out. It would have been easier to get a 1-2-3 [inning]."